Bengaluru : Amid the festering row over the sharing of Cauvery waters with Tamil Nadu, former Karnataka chief minister and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy on Wednesday came down heavily on the Central Water Management Board terming its direction to the state government release 5,000 cusecs of water to the neighbouring state as an "unjustifiable decision". 

The water management board on Tuesday directed the Siddaramaiah government in Karnataka to release 5,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu over 15 days starting Wednesday.

The direction came at a time when parts of the state are battling acute water scarcity, leaving farmers a distressed lot.

However, the board directed the release of 5,000 cusecs of water from the Cauvery against the demand for 12,500 cusecs put forward by the DMK government in Tamil Nadu.

Weighing in on the issue, Kumaraswamy told ANI on Wednesday, "This is an unjustifiable direction by the  Central Water Management Board at a time when parts of our state are facing severe water scarcity. The state government has advised farmers not to cultivate crops this year in view of the water scarcity. Such is the situation now that even Bengaluru could be staring at a drinking water crisis in the coming days. The Water Management Board favours Tamil Nadu every time. Why are they not directing the Tamil Nadu government to release water?" 

“I demand that the (Siddaramaiah) government reject the Central Water Management Board's decision (to release 5,000 cusecs from Cauvery to Tamil Nadu)," the JD(S) leader added.

BJP leader and former Karnataka CM, Basavaraj Bommai, too, took to his official handle on 'X' to post, "The state government called a (all-party) meeting last night to discuss the Cauvery dispute. However, I was not able to attend the meeting as I was tied up with a pre-scheduled event in my constituency.Our stand on the Cauvery issue is clear. The state government should not release even a drop of water to Tamil Nadu for arbitrary reasons. The state government should, instead, convey the dire straits that our farmers are in due to severe water scarcity to the Supreme Court and the CWMA."

Earlier, on Wednesday, CM Siddaramaiah convened an another all-party meeting, the second in two days, to discuss the next course of action after the CWMA direction.
The governments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have been locked a protracted tussle over the sharing of Cauvery waters. The river is seen as a major source of sustenance for the people in either state.

The Centre formed the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) on June 2, 1990 to adjudicate on disputes between Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Puducherry with respect to their individual water-sharing capacities.